Children stood in awe of the colorful carousel, reminded that their favorite holiday is just two weeks away.

Even in Sunday night’s rain, crowds lined the sidewalk to see all the lights – 250,000 of them – in a tradition that’s lasted since 1963.

Something, though – or someone – was missing.

The lights were on, there was a menorah, and even a toy soldier, but the owner wasn’t home.

“I’ve been here many years with him,” neighbor Mickey Duval said. “He’s a great guy.”

Duval said the brains and the bills for the display belong to homeowner Frank Seddio, a Brooklyn attorney and former assemblyman. He ducks in and out of his home, neighbors say, just like the Christmas cat in the display.

The lavish display is a gift from a Good Samaritan.

“You can see the neighborhood – it’s nice to see people happy,” Duval said.

Frank, the owner, did eventually contact CBS 2. He admitted this property isn’t his full-time home, just his office space. The lights, he said, are a labor of love that he inherited from the previous owner 24 years ago.